Today, the plenary of the European Parliament backed the report by S&D MEP Soledad Cabezón calling for the introduction of joint clinical assessments of health technologies at EU level.
S&Ds have pushed for a harmonised assessment system and as a way to improve the sustainability of public health systems and improve patients' access to new medicines and medical devices across Europe.
S&D MEP Soledad Cabezón, who is the author of the report, said:
“An EU-wide system to assess medicines and medical devices will clearly bring an added value for patients and for public health systems. We want a European regulation on Health Technologies Assessment (HTA), which allows member states to make the most reasonable choices for the patients and for the public budget, instead of letting commercial interests prevail.
“The lack of an EU-wide system allows for certain treatments to be offered through public systems when studies show that they are not effective. For example, the price of anti-cancer drugs increased by up to 10 times more than their effectiveness as treatments in the last decade. It has also been proven that a high percentage of new medicinal products brought into the European market offer no advantage over existing products.
“The Eurobarometer shows that health is one of the most important assets for European citizens and they demand more EU actions in this field. The report adopted today aims at improving access to health technology in the EU, especially in terms of quality but also in choosing research projects according to medical needs.
“This report is a step towards guaranteeing the fundamental right of access to health. Nevertheless, we intend to take further steps. In fact, it is in the field of medical devices where more scientific evidence is needed to take decisions. It is an emerging market but it is still very fragmented, so a European evaluation will definitely be an added value.
"After today's vote, I have a mandate from the European Parliament to negotiate the final law with the member states. So far, progress between EU governments has been very slow. Now I hope they will speed up their work in the interest of European patients."
